It is 2020. Technology dominates the world. Therefore, he who owns and controls information is king. Globalization has made labor cheaper and abundant. Yet, the critical assets are inno-thinkers. They are the lifeblood of society. With the majority of engineers coming from China and India, American companies lose their innovative edge in the marketplace. Many historians point to 2008 when US engineering schools did nothing to wave off the international threat. Some hoped things would change. Yet, the future remains uncertain for engineering in America.

The Situation

As the United States marches to a different drummer, it finds there is an impending danger ahead. While globalization has become a menacing threat to some businesses, the major challenge for traditional academic institutions is to produce engineers who are intelligent, creative, and internationally savvy to handle the challenges of the 21st century. Given this premise, this article examines the current state of engineering schools in the United States and explores how institutional leaders can infuse their organizations with creativity, thereby producing innovative engineering students. How can traditional engineering schools cultivate creativity in their students? According to a survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, 63% of American business leaders said college graduates are not prepared for the global environment. The lack of creativity by today's engineers becomes critical as more businesses look for technical workers for the future workforce.

University Challenges

Academia must overcome several potential barriers that when transforming engineering schools to centers of innovation. Currently, there are 346 universities approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the national organization that sets standards for engineering schools. Although there are over 270 universities that offer mechanical engineering, there is a variety of other engineering schools available for students, such as software engineering. Fewer and fewer students are earning degrees in engineering and science. Several key factors illuminate the downturn of America's competitiveness across the globe, which are (1) several key agencies for U.S. scientific research and develop will face a retirement crisis in the near future, (2) less than 6% of high school seniors are pursuing engineering degrees, down 36% from a decade, (3) the number of China's undergraduate degrees in the hard sciences were 56% compared to 17% for the United States in 2000, and (4) in the next several years, China will likely produce six times the number of engineers in the future than the United States. In 2004, the United States graduated roughly 70,000 undergraduate engineers while other countries such as China (600,000) and India (350,000) are graduating more engineers. In 1989, the National Science Foundation warned of a shortfall in both Ph.D.s and bachelor's degrees in the natural sciences and engineering. This situation is creating a national crisis for businesses looking for innovation and creativity from the nation's finest. This trend is alarming.

Transformation of Innovation

In order to the fierce realities of globalization, engineering schools must rethink their approach of education by focusing on strategy, structure, and culture during these uncertain times. First, these schools need to shift their strategy. Many engineering schools are too rigid in its design, and lose focus. Yet, the consequences of overly emphasizing structure can be dangerous. Michael Michalko, author of Thinkertoys, argues that creativity is not an accident. Therefore, institutional leaders, such as engineering deans, must be willing to construct organizations that support creativity. Second, engineering schools should be structured to support an international component of learning. By adding a studying abroad program, engineering schools can immerse their students in culture and allow them to work in multi-cultural teams. In taking these actions, universities provide students with an additional cultural competence that is a key attribute in an increasingly global climate. Third, there is also a need for a more generalized and liberal arts form of education for engineering students to spawn creativity.

According to many business executives, the 21st century needs students who possess good communication skills, critical thinking, applied knowledge, intellectual depth, ethics, and cultural understanding. Many times engineering students lose sight of creativity and focus solely on the technical aspects of engineering. Therefore, getting broader educational experiences in such areas as business or political science is virtually impossible. Finally, the culture climate of most engineering schools needs to change if they want to survive. Today's climate for most engineering students is a sterile school environment where students are left to fend for themselves. Faculty members are viewed as unapproachable or unavailable to help with academic or personal career planning.

By contrasts, students want good faculty teaching, advisement, assessment practices, and good curriculum design in order to compete. Therefore, engineering schools must foster care and concern for students if they want to develop creativity in their schools.

A Step Forward

Twenty-first century leaders in engineering departments must address the needs of students in becoming creative if they hope to take advantage of future opportunities in hypercompetitive environments. Some people wonder if these schools can change. According to Harris Poll sponsored by the American Association of Engineering Societies and IEEE-USA, only 2% of the general public associate engineering with creativity. Therefore, an environment where innovation flourishes has to be on the top of organizational leaders' to-do lists. Deans of engineering schools, faculty members, and other institutional leaders can have an impact in constructing this type of organization in the future. The reality is a major concern to U.S. businesses that compete globally.

As this article demonstrates, today's academic institutions must change if they wish to survive the era of intense global competition. Leaders need to give careful consideration to innovative thinking about the short and long-term. U.S. engineering schools can succeed in helping American businesses compete by restructuring their organizations based on strategy, structure, and culture. Innovation is the linchpin for this success. Can engineering schools transform themselves into creative institutions? Only time will tell if they are truly successful.